Skull Lateral

AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO TRAUMA

Restore the elasticity in the longitudinal and peripheral system of the CNS in the spinal fluid so it is floating (Archimedean Float – when any object is placed in water there is an upward buoyancy that diminishes the weight of the brain to 40-50 grams, spinal cord has zero degrees of tension)

• Can’t separate the transmission of forces of CNS to peripheral nervous system. Its one unit. Pons Cord Tract (PCT) must be elastic and this is what we need to fix if this is lacking
• Mesencephalon (Midbrain suspended on tentorium), Pons, Medulla included in PCT

A typical duration of trauma is 50-90 msecs – too short for compensatory mechanisms
as collision duration decreases – decreased risk of injury
• Shock wave (vibrations) have good transmission in dense media such as bones, hard organs, liquid compartments (CSF within cranial vault, bladder or spleen may rupture if filled with fluid)
• Liver exerts about .8 kg of force on coronary ligament (weighs about 4kgs). Can increase to 80kg of pressure in a 60 mph collision
• Brain should have about 40 grams of pressure on arachnoid structures to cranial periosteum can increase to 4kgs in impact

Note: These traumas must be felt with hands (not perceptible on MRI or CT scan).
• Traumas are cumulative and there is less ability for compensation over time

Fluid in sinuses in the brain and the CSF is in the arachnoid structures

Can feel 4 levels:
• bone, sutures, membranes, and encephalon
• Equilibrium of the tentorium needs to adapt to brain with tensional forces in movement, bending, etc
• Don’t dream when palpating, you need to be at the correct interface to find that level to palpate the vertex – where does this attraction line take you.
• If you are too light in your pressure, you are getting involved in the emotional state of the body, if you are too heavy you will be on the working level
viscerocranial junction

Listening from the Vertex of the cranium what direction does the pull go:
1. Right or Left?
2. Anterior or Posterior?
3. Length – Superficial or Deep?
4. Type of STOP
Bone – Short listening with a sudden stop.
Suture – Same depth, slightly deeper then bone. Glide longer then bone, sudden stop.
Membrane – Deep listening, long listening with a progressive stop.
Encephalon – Deep inside, longest listening, endlessly attracted.

Line up the PCT so they are in a neutral position. This requires legs straight and possibly bringing head lower then table.
• Inductions: Treatments
• Follow the listening, active on the therapist’s part; follow slightly at the barrier at the end of listening.

Nervous system is expanding in the “flexion” phase of cranial-sacral therapy called “expansion phase”
• During “retraction” phase the nervous system is compressing
• Nervous system accepts inductions during expansion phase only. When in extension/retraction you just wait and witness. Ride the tide, nudge, energetically barrier along the expansion phase (flexion).

3 Witnesses
• Witnesses are useful to confirm your general listening findings
• Frontal- both hands are on the frontal bone, add compression towards both hands and listen (does it shear, does it twist, is it stiff, is it soft). Then you use a shearing force to move the frontal bone in opposing directions transversely, reverse directions. Is it free or restricted? If it is restricted it confirms an osseous restriction in the head
• Coronal Suture – support the occiput with the non-dominant hand and the other hand in front of the coronal suture. Contact top hand and press up and it should be free and lift up without deviation right or left. If the hand deviates it indicates a sutural restriction on that side.
• Sagittal- hand is over midline, middle finger lined up between the eyes, hand is behind bregma in front of vertex. Apply pressure and lift anteriorly towards ceiling. Does it move freely? You can affect all of the membranes in the cranium through the sagittal suture.

When there is a lack of resiliency in the bone it is tender to client and sick in the osseous tissue. The living, healthy bone is very bendable.
• Treating: Go into direction of ease, exaggerate right side opening during expansion phase (when left side is stuck), allow give back during retraction phase, repeat 4,5 times. Skull will open.

In sagittal suture, compress towards feet, wait for expansion phase to lift anteriorly. follow any twist during the expansion phase and allow some release during retraction phase. Repeat 3-4 times.

With Anterior listening from Vertex – could be: coronal suture, frontal bone, face, teeth
If post and midline – could be falx cerebelli, bone (occiput), spinal dura
Posterior listening – if lateral
• Petromastoid, tentorium, skull itself (temporal bone sqaumous sutures), spinal canal
Anterior strain could be viscerocranium verse neurocranium – faces are softer, neural is harder protecting the brain
• Sphenoid – vomer, palatine junction here
• Trigeminal Nerve innervates the falx, maxilla and is between the neural and viscerocranium also
• More to the sphenoid relationships go from the thorax structures up and less in sphenoid basilar junctions (visceral sheath of neck – everything anterior to deep cervical fascia that travels up from pericardial ligament and attaches bucopharengial fascias and hyoid into the cranial base (temporals, occiput and sphenoid)

For more please email me. This is just page 1 of notes from a 3 day class.